A couple of the pitchers that you have already read about in our Twins Top 10 prospect series. One is known for a killer curveball. Today’s pitcher isn’t known for either of those things and yet he was likely the easiest choice to make when the front office was considering who to add to the 40-man roster in November. He is on the cusp of what many believe could be a long major league career.

Find out today why Stephen Gonsalves finds himself securely among the Top 5 Minnesota Twins prospects.

Saturday evening, Twins fans were dealt a heavy, albeit not all too surprising blow. News broke that Yu Darvish, the prize of the offseason, was signing with the Cubs and Twins Territory was left to wonder “what now?” Several voices at Twins Daily tried to answer that question this week

In the season ahead, Joe Mauer may be looking at one of the most important campaigns of his entire career. Yes, he’s got three batting titles and an MVP to his name, but it’s 2018 that has some very real story lines awaiting their resolution. What will Mauer bring to the table? Will he be back? Should the Twins want him? All are very real questions, and the answers could go a long way to cementing the living legend’s legacy.

What follows is not a Twins article -- more on that topic at a later date -- but rather a story about how the game is changing below the surface. This is a story about a bunch of screens set up around a baseball diamond. It is a story about how, just as the number crunchers influenced the front office changes over the last decade, a new wave of coaches are making significant changes in the player development systems.

Unless you are a real Baseball America stan, you may have missed this trend happening across baseball right now. More and more, teams have increased in the number of college coaches hired to help with player development. The Minnesota Twins added several coaches this offseason from that rank including, but not limited to, Tanner Swanson, Pete Maki and Dan Ramsey among others. In some cases, the Twins hired for a newly created position (catching instructor) and others they replaced long-time coaches with someone with newer ideas.

Tommy John surgery can be a scary proposition especially for young players going under the knife. Luckily, the Twins have seen players successfully return from surgery and have a major impact at the big league level. One needs to look no further than Miguel Sano to find a Twins position player who was able to rehab and return with a vengeance.

Minnesota’s top pick from the 2016 MLB Draft will be looking to follow a similar path. Alex Kirilloff has multiple hoops to jump through but Tommy John surgery might have allowed him to become an even better player. That being said, he has a lot to prove in his age-20 season.

It may be the middle of February, but this is a big week for baseball. The Twins held their first official pitchers and catchers workout today and single-game tickets go on sale this coming Saturday. Here’s a look at some of the biggest promotions and noteworthy opponents coming to Target Field in 2018.

On Monday night, Episode 6 of Seth's Twins On Deck Podcast went live. It is available here for you to listen to.

In this episode, Seth chatted with two right-handed pitchers who had tremendous 2017 seasons in Cedar Rapids. He also spoke with another member of the Minnesota Gophers program as they prepare for their first weekend of ball games. Finally, Twins radio voice Cory Provus was a fantastic guest near the show's completion.

While you can listen to the podcast by clicking here, you can also search iTunes and subscribe to it. (search Minnesota Sports Weekly)

The Twins drafted Brent Rooker in the 38th round of the 2016 draft following this third year at Mississippi State. He chose to go back to school for another year. It was a great decision. He his .397/.495/.810 (1.305) with 30 doubles, 23 home runs and 82 RBI. He won the SEC’s Triple Crown, the first to do that since Rafael Palmiero over 30 years earlier. Following the season, the Twins made him the 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed him to a $1,935,300 signing bonus.

Brent Rooker bet on himself and it paid off. The Twins are betting that his advanced bat can quickly contribute at the big league level. That could happen as soon as later in the 2018 season.